Silver Squire, trainer John Kimmel’s 2-year-old colt who finished first in three of his four starts, looms the favorite in a field of nine going six furlongs in today’s $75,000 Huntington Stakes at the Big A.
The son of Silver Ghost broke his maiden first-out at Saratoga by 3½ lengths at 30-1, then was taken down in a controversial DQ at the Spa after “winning” an allowance dash by 53/4. Next out, Silver Squire finished a troubled sixth in the Grade 1 Futurity at Belmont before rebounding with a 51/4-length allowance score at Aqueduct on Oct. 25.
“He came out of that race and worked a beautiful five-eighths in 1:00.4 [Nov. 9],” Kimmel said. “He’s a very good horse. Throw out the Futurity and he’s basically undefeated.”
In the Futurity, Silver Squire lost all chance when he stumbled badly at the break.
“His front and back legs actually splayed and he landed on his belly,” jockey Rich Migliore said. “I was so close to the ground, I thought he was going to roll over. Somehow he got up. He was really running panicky for the first eighth of a mile and I thought he’d hurt himself.”
Although Silver Squire broke his maiden in the mud, Kimmel said he might scratch if the track is off today.
“He’s doing so good right now, I’m not sure I want to take an unwanted risk,” he said.
If Silver Squire doesn’t run, then Super Fuse, a stakes-winning Calder shipper, looms as the one to fear.
*
Splitting horses with a bold move in deep stretch under Norberto Arroyo Jr., the 3-year-old filly Uriah rallied from last of 11 in the early going and was up in the final strides to win yesterday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Long Island Handicap on turf at the Big A.
Sunstone, who surged to the lead in the final sixteenth, was second in a tight photo at the end of the mile-and-a-half, run in a very slow 2:42.2. Mot Juste hung on for third. Moon Queen, favored at 2-1, was up close early but faded to finish last over the soft course.
Uriah was bred and raced in Germany, where she was 4-for-6. The Long Island was her first start in the U.S. after shipping over last week.
“They wanted me sitting third, fourth of fifth early,” Arroyo said, “but she didn’t break that well. Everyone was fighting for position going into the first turn and I decided to let her settle. The more I rode her, the more she moved up in the pack.
“She was a little shy at first coming through that hole, but I chirped at her a few times and she got through.”
Uriah paid $18.60 top^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ping a $296 exacta.
